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Thursday, September 21st, 2006

Xavier Rudd set to drop ANTI- debut and announces tour plans

Acclaimed singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd will release his Anti- debut Food In The Belly on January 23, 2007. Informed by his extensive travels as a surfer, Rudd’s sixth album embraces an array of cultures and results in a style that is unique, fresh and vital. In advance of the release, the Australian-born, Canada-based Rudd will tour the U.S. and Canada next month when his three-week trek gets underway on November 13, 2006 in Boston.

“[Rudd] offers a strikingly original mix of music,” writes The Boston Globe. “Some of his sound (and idealism) echoes the surf-folk of Jack Johnson, while his Weissenborn guitar-playing evokes Ben Harper. But mostly, Rudd is on a plateau of his own, playing a one-man blend of guitars, didgeridoos, stomp boxes, djembe drums, and even slide banjo. Expect this album to crack some top 10 lists.”

Recorded by Xavier and co-producer Todd Simko in a Vancouver house-turned-studio, he calls the disc, “a celebration,” adding, “This is a shaky time and we have our issues, but most of us in the western world are incredibly fortunate. It’s not gonna be this way forever and I feel really appreciative. I guess that gratitude became a theme of this album.”

Released last year in Australia, where it has been certified gold, Food In The Belly has yielded praise from the likes of such celebrated and successful tunesmiths as Ani DiFranco and the aforementioned Johnson, both of whom Rudd has toured with. To say it’s contagious is an understatement, as evidenced by the rolling, finger-picked exuberance of “Energy Song” or the tender “Miss You In My Life.”

“I feel lucky to do what I’m doing,” says the 28 year old Rudd, who was raised in Torquay, Victoria near the famous surf spot Bells Beach. “I’m a very fortunate musician, to have so many people support and appreciate what I do, but I’m also a lucky human being. I think we all are. I guess that’s what this record is about.”